Colleton River Club, Bluffton SC: A Private Golf and Waterfront Community

Colleton River is private, and the gate is staffed, so there is no drive-through and no public tee time or table. A visitor comes in as a member’s guest. People thinking about buying can arrange a stay first: the club’s Member Experience Package is two nights in one of its golf cottages, with use of the amenities. The club’s office is at (843) 836-4400.

Golf is the reason many owners chose Colleton River. There are two 18-hole championship courses, one by Jack Nicklaus and one by Pete Dye, a par-3 course and a practice park, all under the same membership. Our Colleton River Club golf page has the scorecards, the yardages and the video of the Dye Course.

The water is the other half of the address. The community has about seven miles of shoreline along the Colleton River and its creeks, a community dock and boating and water-sports programs, and the club says the dock connects to the Intracoastal Waterway and the Atlantic. Members fish the creeks, take kayaks out, and join the sunset cocktail cruises, and there are member clubs for kayaking and birding, as well as walking and cycling groups.

The Sports & Wellness Complex, which everyone calls “The Plex,” has fitness classes, trainers, physical therapists and massage. Outside are a new tennis center and eight cushioned pickleball courts, plus three bocce courts, and the aquatics complex has a junior-Olympic pool. A Lifestyle membership, below, is built around these facilities for owners who don’t play golf.

The club has two renovated clubhouses. The Dye Clubhouse has a rooftop lounge, and the club also runs Palms Café. Dining is for members and their guests, so it isn’t an option for a passing visitor. For a meal outside the gate, our Bluffton dining guide has the restaurants in Old Town and around the town.

Everyone who buys a home or homesite here chooses a Full or a Lifestyle membership, and both start with a one-time Capital Contribution Fee of $165,000 on the purchase. Full membership opens both golf courses and every amenity, and its 2026 dues are $31,542 a year, paid quarterly. A limited number of Lifestyle memberships suit owners who don’t golf: they include the clubhouse, fitness center, tennis, pickleball and pool, with dues of $22,077 a year. The club says its fees can change without notice, so confirm them before you sign. Our Colleton River real estate page explains what else a buyer should check.

Homes and homesites here sit among the marsh, the river and the fairways. Life runs through the club: golf, court and fitness programs, and the boating and birding groups. Newcomers can start with the club’s Live Here page, which lists its homes and homesites.

Our Colleton River homes for sale page has the current listings from the local MLS. Other gated Bluffton communities are compared on Bluffton real estate, and Oldfield is another private riverfront community nearby.